


Unarmed truth

by Daughter_of_the_TARDIS



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/F, River Song (mentioned), Victorian Wives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-08
Updated: 2019-04-15
Packaged: 2019-11-13 18:20:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18036467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daughter_of_the_TARDIS/pseuds/Daughter_of_the_TARDIS
Summary: “Welcome to the home of the Great Detective.” She began, a wide smile on her face as she listened to footsteps moving closer towards the door.  “The sleuth who inspired Sir Doyle's tales of his own Sherlock Holmes.”





	1. Chapter 1

The TARDIS phased out of the Time Vortex, wheezing and groaning as she landed out of the way in an alley. She stood there, keeping watch over the street in front of her for a moment before her doors opened, spilling golden light onto the snow-covered sidewalk.

“Where are we?” Yaz asked, looking around in amazement as she made her way out of the TARDIS. A wide smile was on her face as she looked around, taking in the world around her. Ryan, Graham, and the Doctor followed her outside.

“Not sure - give me a second.” The Doctor requested. Tall, narrow buildings lined the streets, and horse-drawn carriages moved through the road, the drivers shouting at their horses and passers-by in equal measure. Thick smog filled the air, and the smell of coal and sewage was everywhere, making the humans wrinkle their noses in disgust.

“Oh!” The Doctor said, spinning around to take in the city around her one last time. “I know where we are!”

“Where?” Ryan asked. His eyes were constantly moving, trying to take in everything he could without tripping over himself.

“Victorian London - eighteen ninety three, I think.” She said, taking in the area around them. There was something familiar about the spot, something that she recognized from a previous regeneration. An even bigger grin crossed her face when she saw a sign saying what street they were on. “And… right around the corner from Jenny and Vastra's! Oh come on - they're gonna love you guys!” She pushed through the crowds in front of them, ignoring the disgruntled looks that were sent her way.

“Shouldn’t we change?” Graham asked, pointing at the khaki pants and windbreaker that he was wearing. He looked out at the crowd of people around them, taking in what they were all wearing. Even the least formal blokes he saw were still wearing three-piece suits.

But the Doc shook her head, blonde hair flying as she stuck her hands in the pockets of her coat. The cold didn’t seem to bother her at all, but then it never did. “Nah.” she told them, dodging a woman in purple silk with a hat that had more feathers on it than many small birds did. “You can if you want to - Vastra and Jenny have loads of clothes that you can borrow.”

“Vastra's a weird name for a bloke.” Ryan said, referring back to the Doctor’s original comment. He kept his face tucked into his jacket to avoid the worst of the wind. Snow came down on them in a generous fall, making it harder to navigate the narrow sidewalks. The cobblestones were slippery under their feet, and the wide-bustled skirts of the ladies walking by kept knocking into them. Graham kept one hand on Ryan at all times, making sure the younger man didn't get knocked around too badly.

“Excellent point, Ryan.” the Doctor said, turning to look at them and completely unaffected by the snow and freezing cold temperature. She walked down the street backwards, her eyes trained on them and somehow keeping herself from accidentally running people over or getting knocked over herself. “Vastra is a weird name for a human man. However, it's not a weird name for a reptilian humanoid from the dawn of time.”

With that said, she turned the corner, leading her friends down a side street. The humans looked at each other for a minute, as if verifying what they had all just heard, before agreeing that they had heard what they thought. With that figured out, they headed after her.

“Humanoid reptile?” Graham asked, looking puzzled. “What exactly does that mean?”

“Specifically, a Silurian.” The Doctor elaborated, but then didn't say anything else on the subject for a moment, looking around in confusion for a second before finding the sign for Paternoster Row. Once she found it, she picked up her explanation, forging a path through the crowds of people like it was nothing. “They ruled the earth for millennia before apes evolved into humans. Their civilization was light years ahead of humanity - more advanced than what you’re used to in the twenty-first century. They went into hibernation when their scientists saw what they thought was a massive asteroid coming for the planet. It turned out to just be the moon, but they had already gone into hypersleep by then.”

“Right then, fam.” the Doctor said, her enthusiasm almost contagious. “The TARDIS brought us here for a reason. Let’s find out what it is.”

8888

Yaz, Ryan, and Graham followed the Doctor, going from the bustling London streets to the less crowded sidewalks of Paternoster Row. Beautiful houses lined both sides of the street, the glow from candles and fireplaces creating a cheery and welcoming look in the windows. Snow covered the sidewalks, piling up into little snow drifts as more fell out of the sky. Lamplighters moved past them, scaling their ladders with ease as they lit the lamps for the night.

“So how do you know these people?” Yaz asked, keeping her voice down. There was a bobbie on the street corner that had been eyeing them suspiciously since they first turned down the road. He moved to approach them, but froze when they stopped in front of number thirteen. Everyone even vaguely connected to Scotland Yard knew better than to interfere with anyone who came to Madame Vastra’s door.

“Vastra and Jenny helped me a lot, a long time ago.” She said, her eyes slightly glassy and full of nostalgia. While her body was still with her friends in the present, her mind was in the past - in the days when she had a big chin and floppy hair and had just lost three of the most important people in their life. The days when all that the Doctor had to get them through each moment was a single sheet of typed paper, a small blue book, and friends who weren’t willing to give up on them. “They're good friends of mine.”

With that said, she pushed the gate of Number Thirteen open, leading the way down the well-manicured front path. She jumped up the last few stairs, lifting up the old-fashioned door knocker and letting it fall back down with a heavy thud. The sound rang out over the quiet street, drawing 

“Welcome to the home of the Great Detective.” She began, a wide smile on her face as she listened to footsteps moving closer towards the door. “The sleuth who inspired Sir Doyle's tales of his own Sherlock Holmes.”


	2. Chapter 2

The door was thrown open, and Graham, Ryan and Yaz all stepped back in shock as they were greeted by a very small person holding a very large gun. He was about three feet tall and misshapen, with an incredibly large head and a thick, strangely proportioned body. “Halt, or be destroyed for the glory of the Sontaran empire!” the smiles fell off of their faces, and they looked like they wanted to run in the opposite direction instead of continuing on their way.

The Doctor grinned for them, looking like she was trying her hardest to keep from throwing her arms around the creature in the doorway. “Hello, Strax!” she said, settling for waving enthusiastically. 

“That’s a potato.” Ryan said, looking at Yaz and Graham as if to make sure that he wasn't hallucinating. But they looked as confused as he was.

“Don't be rude, Ryan!” The Doctor admonished, her face scrunching up as she looked at him. “Strax isn't a potato, he's a Sontaran - they just look like potatoes.” she admitted, giving her friend an apologetic look. 

“Sir, I must request that you cease referring to the mighty Sontarans as root starch.” the being intoned, sounding irritated by the Doctor's comments. Despite that, he moved aside to let them in.

They stepped inside, relaxing slightly as they began to warm up from the freezing cold.

Strax stepped forward, making the humans tense up slightly. “May I take your hats?” he asked, holding out a hand.

“We aren't wearing any hats.” Graham pointed out, brow furrowing in confusion as he tried to figure out what the alien butler was talking about.

“It's hair, Strax, remember?” The Doctor said patiently, like it was something they had gone over a hundred times before.

“Strax?” A cockney-accented voice called, coming down the stairs. “‘oo is it?”. A woman came into view, with dark eyes and chestnut colored hair gathered into a neat bun at the nape of her neck. She wore a long dark skirt that sweeped the tops of her boots, and her starched white shirt was covered by a jewel colored waistcoat. Her eyes scanned the group, cataloging them with the same ease that a burglar would go over their lock picks with.

“Jenny!”. The Doctor cheered, obviously happy to see the other woman. She made to rush forward, but was stopped by Strax before she made it more than a foot.

The woman on the staircase paused, her posture stiffening as she stared at the newcomers. “Do I know you, miss?” She asked, her tone still polite despite her obvious suspiciousness.

“Oh yeah, right. I've regenerated.” the Doctor said, spinning around to show off her new look. “What d'you think? Still me?”

“Doctor?” She asked, her surprise clear as she hurried down the rest of the staircase. “'s that you?”

She almost looked offended. “Of course it's me, d'you know anyone else runnin’ around regeneratin’?” she asked.

A small smile lit up Jenny's face as she pulled the other woman into a hug. “I suppose not.” She laughed, pulling back far enough to study the woman in front of her. A strange look crossed her face for a moment and she blushed, taking a step back.

“Where's your wife?” The Doctor asked, peering behind Jenny like someone else would just pop out from behind her.

“Wife?” Yaz asked, eyebrows raised in surprise. None of the humans had ever thought about the concept of homosexuality being in all eras, but here was the proof.

“Yes, I already told you about her - Vastra, remember?”

“The Madame's in the conservatory - she's got a case.” Jenny said, rolling her eyes in fond exasperation. Vastra was notorious for getting sucked into her work, much like her fictional counterpart did. Luckily, she had Jenny instead of Dr. Watson, because her wife had ways of making her eat while on a case.

“There were lesbians in Victorian times?” Ryan asked quietly as they followed the maid through the house.

The Doctor nodded, turning back to look at her friends. “History is a lot gayer than people want you to believe.”

They barely made it halfway down the corridor when a door opened at the end of the hall. A silhouette appeared on the opposite wall, framed by the light 

“Jenny?” Someone called. “Who are our guests, my dear?” The voice was female, elegant and cultured with an accent that none of the Doctor's companions could identify. None of them missed the small smile that lit up the maid's face at the sound of the voice, or the way she tucked her hair back behind her ears.

“It's the Doctor, ma'am.” Jenny said and an odd sort of hissing noise echoed down the hall, seemingly in response to be her words.

“Excellent.” Came the reply, a hint of victory in the other woman's tone. “Has he come to help with our latest puzzle?”

The blonde turned to her friends, explaining before Jenny had a chance to answer the lady of the house. “Vastra and Jenny were the inspiration for Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson.” The Doctor said proudly.

“What, you're detectives?” Graham asked, an excited grin lighting up his face. He had loved the stories of Sherlock Holmes when he was growing up, and the idea of getting to meet the inspiration behind the stories was exhilarating.

“We work closely with Scotland Yard… helping them out when they do not have a clue.” The voice said, it's owner moving towards them from down the hall. “Unfortunately, it seems to occur rather often.” The owner of the voice stepped into view, making the humans all take a step back. While Jenny was dressed in the attire of a maid - albeit the maid of a well-off noblewoman - there was no doubt in anyone's mind that the woman in front of them was a lady. Her dress was a deep blue, so dark that it was almost black, with a high collar and delicate beading. Her face, however, was obscured by a heavy black veil. Nothing could be made it except for a general idea of where her facial features were meant to be. It created an altogether startling effect, one that had all three of the humans sneaking peeks at the woman every few seconds.

“And they're okay with that - takin’ orders from a woman, I mean.” Graham began, wincing when he saw the look on Jenny's face. He hurried to correct himself. “Not that I'm against it, I just meant…”

“It's not a good time period to be a woman.” Jenny finished for him, the small smile on her face letting him know that it was alright - she knew what he had meant to say. 

“Vastra!” The Doctor cheered, moving as if to throw herself on the other woman in a hug like she had with her wife. But the other woman made a strange clicking sound that had the Doctor backing down quickly.

“Doctor.” The woman said, her head tilting slightly to one side as she paused in her steps. “You've regenerated.”

“What do you think?”

“It is quite nice.” The woman agreed, a strange silbilence to her words that had the humans looking at her strangely and had Jenny rolling her eyes.

“Oi, married!” She reminded the other woman.

“Shall we move to the conservatory for tea?” Vastra offered, trying to ignore the irritated look that her wife was sending her way.

The Doctor nodded gleefully, while her friends wondered what exactly they had gotten themselves into.

8888

It only took a few minutes for Jenny to return with a tea service, during which time Vastra held court from her high-backed wicker chair. While the Doctor seemed perfectly comfortable in the ridiculously humid room, her friends were sweltering. None of them could understand how Vastra could manage the heat beneath her heavy dress and veil. 

Yaz was the first to give into her curiosity. “Why do you wear that veil?” she asked, taking a sip of her tea. “Is it a religious thing, like a burka?”

Jenny and her wife shared a look - one made indecipherable by the simple fact that one of their faces was obscured. But the human woman smirked, something flashing through her eyes. As if in response to that look, a strange hissing sound filled the air for just a moment. Jenny smirked at the sound.

The Doctor blushed. “Would you two quit flirting while there are other people in the room? It's embarrassing.”

All three of the Doctor's companions looked confused at that, but their attention was quickly drawn back to Madame Vastra. They were caught on the edge of their seats as the mysterious lady reached up with gloved hands, slowly pulling her veil off of her face.


	3. Chapter 3

“She's a lizard.”. Graham was the first one to say anything. While Jenny looked amused, Vastra seemed to be exasperated with his words - like she had heard them time and time before and was waiting for a better reaction.

“Of course she is,” the Doctor said, looking surprised with her friends. “I did tell you.”

“Yeah but we didn't think you actually meant it.” Ryan pointed out. “You say lots of weird things, that doesn't mean that all of them are true.”

“That's not true.” The blonde objected. “Name one thing I've told you that isn't right.”

“You said you used to be a man when we first met.” Yaz pointed out, sure that she had already won their little game. 

“Yeah, I was.”

Graham shook his head. “That's not possible, Doc.*

“She's tellin’ the truth, miss, sir.” Jenny spoke up, defending her friend and earning a beaming grin for her efforts. She got up from her seat next to Vastra, moving over towards the sideboard to pick up a framed portrait. “See?”

She handed over the picture, and the Doctor's companions gathered around it. It was of a couple obviously in love - a man with bushy eyebrows and partially tamed silver curls, and a woman with riotous blonde hair and a knowing smirk. Neither one of them was looking at the camera, both of them too busy staring at each other to notice anything else.

“Where did you get that?” The Doctor asked, sounding equal parts excited and sad. There was a look in her eyes like she wanted to take the picture and run, but the only one to really see it was Graham.

“She gave it to us.” Jenny explained, handing over the picture. 

“Who are those people?” Yaz asked, her fingertips tracing over the image. 

“Well, that's me,” the Doctor said, pointing to the man. A small sad smile stretched across her face as she pointed at the other person in the picture. “And that is my wife.”

“Your wife?” Ryan asked, looking impressed. “Seriously?”

The Doctor nodded, the faintest hint of a blush crossing her cheeks. “Tell us about your latest case, Vastra.” The Doctor said, quickly changing the subject. Vastra noticed, but didn't say anything, instead doing as she asked and beginning a story involving poisonings, murders, and golden cufflinks.

The rest didn't notice, but Graham saw the moment when the Doctor snuck the photograph into her jacket. He just smiled, glad that his friend had someone that they cared about enough to still put that kind of a smile on their face even after so many years.

8888

They sat for hours, talking about past cases and adventures and what the Doctor had been getting into for the past few hundred years. But eventually, the time drew closer for the time travellers to leave. When the clock struck nine and Graham started to yawn, Jenny and Vastra exchanged a look.

“Before you go.” Vastra's voice cut through the air of excitement - as sharp as the blades hanging on the wall. “I have a message for you from the Professor.”

The Doctor froze. “What?” She asked, slowly turning to look at the other woman. Her face was lit up with a strange mix of hope and fear at the thought of a message from her wife. It was either going to be a call to an adventure, or their final goodbye, and she wasn’t sure which one scared her more. If it was an adventure, she wouldn’t be able to tell her wife who she was the entire time they were together for fear of risking the timelines. But if it was a goodbye - that would be the final end of their story.

Vastra smiled sadly, easily able to see the turmoil in her friend’s eyes. “She said ‘Hello, sweetie.” the Silurian reported, noting the way the Doctor’s eyes softened at the familiar phrase.

“She also said to give this t’ you when you would need it most.” Jenny told her friend, pulling a small wooden box out of the side table. It was only a few inches across, intricately carved with a dark, gleaming finish. She opened the small box, taking out the object inside. “Hold out your 'and.”

The Doctor did as asked, and Jenny put an object in her hand - a small silver ring with a large gemstone in the middle that shone like a star. Her eyes lit up, filling with tears as she clutched the familiar object like a lifeline. “River's ring.” She whispered the words, her voice soft enough that her friends had to strain to hear her.

“I took the liberty of getting a chain for it.” Vastra said, her eyes softening slightly when she saw the look on her friend's face. The blonde took the chain that she was offered, carefully threading the ring through it before hanging it around her neck. She gently tucked the ring under her shirt, keeping it hidden from view. 

“Thank you.” she whispered, pulling both of the women into hugs before settling a cheerful mask onto her face. But Vastra and Jenny had both known the Doctor for centuries by then - they could still see the sadness hidden in her eyes. But her friends just saw the smile on her face, and didn’t think anything of it.

They left not soon after, going to explore Victorian London. Yaz had borrowed one of Jenny’s nicer dresses and had tried to convince the Doctor to dress up with her. She had been disappointingly unsuccessful, but didn’t seem to let it bother her. Both Jenny and Vastra hid their smiles at the young copper’s excited rambling as she practically dragged the others out of the house.

They watched the group leave, disappearing into the dark London night. "Shall we turn in for the nigh', ma'am?" Jenny asked her wife, and the lizard woman smiled.

"Yes my dear... I believe we shall."


End file.
